Being pregnant does not mean eating for two. And it is not an excuse to eat whatever you want. In reality, for a healthy single pregnancy, you do not need any extra calories the first trimester. The second about 300 more. And the third about 500 more.
Category: Chicpeas
Pindi Chana
I fell in love with Indian food while I was studying abroad in Australia. There was a little place right on campus that was pretty cheap. It was also conveniently on the walk back from the tram so I would get some when I got off work on occasion. The menu rotated every day but there was the usual selection of curries, chutneys, and such. I have looked-up the recipes for some of my favorites before, but they scared me. Tons of weird spices, ingredients I have never heard, and insanely long cook times. But the other day I wanted something spicy so I decided to search for a simple recipe (there had to be one, India is a very big country, someone has to be lazy like me!) I came across a site called Indian Food Forever and found some really tasty sounding recipes. Then I saw it—a recipe that was easy and I had almost everything it called for already. And It has chickpeas, one my favorite foods.
Pindi Chana
1 cup dry chickpeas
2 bags of black tea
1 onion, chopped
1 two inch piece of ginger, chopped
2 clove of garlic
1 green chili, de-stemed and chopped
3 tomatoes, chopped
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp chili powder
1tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
Salt to taste
Rinse and pick through the chickpeas. Cover with water and add the tea bag. Soak for at least 6 hours, I left mine overnight.
Drain the chickpeas and add to a large pot. Cover with water, cover and cook until tender, about 25 minutes.
Reserve 1 cup of the cooking liquid and drain off the rest.
Heat some oil in the pot over medium heat. Add the chopped onions and sauté until golden.
Add the chopped ginger, garlic, and chili sauté for another a minute or two.
Add the tomatoes, reserved liquid and all the remaining spices.
Simmer uncovered until the majority of the liquid is absorbed.
I garnished mine with some more spices. I didn’t feel like waiting for rice to cook, so I threw a sweet potato in the microwave for a minutes and served my pindi chana over it. I loved the orangey-yellow color palate.
Veggie Pizza
Like I said in my Pad Thai Pizza post, Friday night is pizza night for my family, and I am trying to keep the tradition alive now that I live on my own.
This is my go-to pizza. It’s simple, but always delicious. Like the Pad Thai Pizza, it has no cheese. Instead there is a layer of hummus that gives it a creamy texture that makes you forget about cheese all together. I used homemade hummus, which I will post a recipe for later, but I used store-bought tomato sauce because I don’t have enough tomatoes right now.
I get the veggies for my pizza from the salad bar at the grocery store. They are already cut up and ready to go.
I posted a recipe earlier for an Easy Pizza Dough. You can use a pre-made or pre-baked one, but try making one for yourself. It really makes a difference.
Veggie Pizza
1 pre-baked pizza crust (try mine)
1 cup hummus
1 cup tomato sauce
1/4 cup kalamata olives
1/4 cup sliced red onions
1/4 cup red/green/yellow peppers
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F.
Evenly spread the hummus on the pizza crust.
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I sprinkled on some dried basil, oregano, and red pepper flakes. |
Next spread the tomato sauce on top of the hummus. I suggest the hummus goes first because it is easier to spread that way.
Next top with the remaining veggies.
Bake for 10-15 minutes, until the crust is golden and the veggies are heated.
Pair with your favorite vegan beer or naturally sweetened soda, and you have yourself a yummy Friday night treat.
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If you like wheat beer, I suggest Blue Moon. And if you like spicy, throw in a hot pepper in too. |